Bandmates!
by gates40K
Summary: Mio Akiyama, engrossed in her life as a college student, thought she'd left music behind. Music, however, has other plans.
1. Chapter 1

**Once a Month**

"Hey, Mio, you paying attention?"

Mio Akiyama looked up, across her salad, and into the eyes of the woman seated across the table from her.

"Sorry," she replied. "What were you saying, Ritsu?"

The woman, her old friend Ritsu Tainaka, grinned.

"We want to get together for your birthday," she said. "It's a big occasion, and you should celebrate it with your friends!"

Mio felt a flare of annoyance.

"I'm sorry, Ritsu, but I have exams to study for. I don't have time for things like that."

"Mio," Ritsu replied, the pitch of her voice rising. "C'mon, learn to have some fun, will ya?"

"I _know_ how to have fun, Ritsu," Mio said, crossing her arms over her chest. She and Ritsu got together for lunch once a month, and Mio often felt like that was _too_ often. There was a time that would've been unimaginable, but, that felt like a _long_ time ago.

"I dunno about that," Ritsu replied. "I remember what it was like when we all started college. You were _way_ more fun back then."

"It was just like high school," Mio said, after taking a breath. "_Some_ of us have learned to grow up, Ritsu. You should do the same," she said, fixing her grey eyes on Ritsu. "If you did … why, you'd probably still be at university!"

"That was a low blow, Akiyama-san," Ritsu replied, after a few moments.

"Well, I'm sorry, but it's true," Mio said. She looked down at her salad, but she'd lost her appetite. She sighed … there was going to be another late-night run to a snack machine before cramming for exams in her future.

"Hey," Ritsu replied. "Look … some of us just aren't cut out for college life. And I'd say it's pretty 'grown up' to admit that. But … _anyway,_" she said, exhaling sharply. "Back to your birthday. Please?"

"Ritsu," Mio said. "I've already told you…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ritsu waved her off. "I think you should hear me out, though."

Mio sighed. She just wanted to get back to her dorm, but she knew Ritsu lost none of her pushiness with the years. Her only hope was to listen to Ritsu recap whatever it was she'd said the first time. And then, maybe, she could finally blow her off and put this behind her.

"Okay, Ritsu," she said. "I'm paying attention."

"Okay," Ritsu replied. "Like I was saying before we got off the subject … Mugi and I were talking, and we think we should do something for your birthday."

Mio frowned. "Wait … you were talking to _Mugi_?"

"Well, duh," Ritsu replied. "Yes, she _is_ studying abroad, in Finland, but _we_ keep up."

Mio frowned. Honestly, she and Mugi didn't talk much, since Mugi was in a separate department. And they talked even less once Mugi signed up for that study abroad program.

"Anyway," Ritsu said. "We've already got Sachi on board, and she's gonna talk to Ayame and Akira. And you're not gonna _believe_ who else is interested in coming."

"You guys talked to Sachi," Mio echoed, starting to regret not paying attention before.

"Yep," Ritsu replied. "But, as I was saying, did you know that Yui's gonna be in town?"

"Yui," Mio said, her expression blank.

"Oh come on! You have to remember _Yui_! You know … ditzy kid who used to play guitar with us?"

"I'm not _that_ bad, Ritsu," Mio replied. "I know who Yui is … it's just that it's been over a year since I last heard from her."

Ritsu sighed. "Again, Akiyama-san, I keep up. It's something you should do too … c'mon, your friends miss you."

Mio pursed her lips, looking at Ritsu. Were they still her friends? Even now? She didn't really know. She did, however, know that she was feeling a sudden sense of shame.

"I don't know," she said. "I've gotta think about it."

"What's there to think about," Ritsu replied. "It's your birthday, and you deserve to take a break with all your old friends!"

"B-but these are important exams coming up," Mio said. She was ashamed, yes, but she was also feeling remarkably defiant.

"And one night of fun ain't gonna kill you," Ritsu replied. "And if you study too hard, you'll end up being an old maid with coke-bottle glasses!"

"Th-that's just not true, and you know it! Stupid Ritsu!" Mio said, kicking Ritsu's shin.

Ritsu grinned sheepishly, shrugging. "Hey, it was worth a shot. So c'mon, how about it?"

"I have to think about it," Mio replied, now thoroughly annoyed. "That's the best you're going to get."

Ritsu looked at her, her lips drawn into a pout.

"Fair enough," she said, after a couple of moments. "I'll call ya in a couple of days."

* * *

Mio took a potato chip, and ate it. And then, she took another. It was the story of her life, really. Junk food and studying … studying and junk food. She frowned at the pages of her open book. She was studying second-order differential equations, and they were making her head spin.

"Ugh," she said, rolling onto her back. Her stomach rumbled, protesting at her choice of meal. Numbers, variables, superscripts, differentials, and integrals all swam together in a squiggly mess.

Mio rolled onto her side, and saw a lonely black bag sitting in the corner of her room. It'd been a few months since she'd last seen her bass out of its bag. It'd been even _longer_ than that since she'd last properly played it.

She frowned, thinking back. The last time she'd played was … well, it was about the time Ritsu told her that she'd decided to drop out of school. That was almost _two years ago_!

She rolled out of bed, and walked to the black bag, unzipping it. The warm red glow of three-color sunburst greeted her. She gently laid it down, and plucked a couple notes. They sounded just as crisp and in-tune as she remembered.

"Stupid Ritsu," she murmured, exhaling sharply and zipping the bass back up. "Stupid, _stupid_, Ritsu."

Mio opened her little closet, and set her bass inside. It was funny how she _still _couldn't manage to forgive Ritsu for deciding to drop out. She could forgive Yui for doing it, but not Ritsu. Never Ritsu.

She closed the closet door … there, now she wouldn't have to be reminded again, until the next time she and Ritsu got together. Her roommate wouldn't have that to complain about either.

Mio climbed back into bed, and opened her book once again. Break time was over, and there was studying to be done.

* * *

Mio's phone vibrated in her back pocket, causing her to sit up with a start. She pulled out her iPhone and frowned at the screen.

"Ritsu? It's early for her to be calling," she said. And then she remembered.

"Crap," she said. Honestly, she'd been hoping Ritsu would've gotten the hint, and realized that Mio wasn't really interested in a birthday get-together.

She put her phone in her book-bag. Maybe Ritsu would get the hint _now. _Besides, Mio reflected, feeling the stares of the people around her; she was in the library.

After a few moments, Mio's bag stopped buzzing. She breathed a quick sigh of relief, before turning her attention back to her notes.

* * *

"_Hey Mio! It's Ritsu! I know you were hoping I'd forget, but … it ain't happening. Yui's got an awesome place in mind, and I've gotta tell you about it. So … gimme a call back, would ya?" _

* * *

"Uh, hey, Ritsu," Mio said, holding her phone to her ear. "I'm fine, but I'm walking back from the cafeteria, so I've only got a couple of minutes. So what was this about Yui?"

Mio walked along the walkway, listening to her old friend talk. Suddenly, she stopped, the blood draining from her face.

"A-are you serious? A buh … b-bar? Yui wants us to meet _at a bar_?" Her heart started racing, and her mouth was suddenly dry. "You're k-kidding, right?"

"_No way!"_ Ritsu's reply was loud enough for Mio to want to look around.

"W-why would I want to spend any time at all in a b-bar!" Mio said, gritting her teeth. Her free hand clenched into a fist, entirely on its own accord. "B-bars are for creeps, animals, and N-NEETs!"

A moment later, Mio blushed.

"I-I'm sorry, Ritsu … that was uncalled for, wasn't it?" She took a deep breath, clenching her free hand to her chest. "B-but of all places … why a _bar_? I-I didn't even know that Yui d-drank, or … or how she thought I'd like to drink!"

She started walking again, listening to Ritsu's voice.

"Oh … I see … a band she likes is playing there," Mio said, feeling a twinge of unexpected sadness. "I don't know," she added. "I really don't know, Ritsu … wouldn't it be … you know, weird?"

Ritsu's answer made Mio grit her teeth.

"Don't play dumb with me, Ritsu," she said. Sachi and her friends still had OnNaGumi going, and they'd be there. Yui thought it'd be a good place to go because a band _she_ liked was going to be playing there … and Mugi would be there too, so it'd just be, like, a reminder of how they _weren't_ a band.

How _wouldn't_ it be awkward?

On the other hand, she _had_ given the idea of birthday get-together some thought, in spite of herself. It might be nice to see Mugi and Yui again, at least. And Sachi's friends weren't so bad, were they?

She took a deep breath. Like so many of the other ideas Ritsu had talked her into over the years, she was certain she was about to regret this one.

"Okay, fine, Ritsu," she finally said. "I-I guess I'll go … I mean … if you guys already went through that much trouble. J-just don't expect me to have any d-drinks!"

She turned a corner, the dormitory wasn't much further.

"I don't need _alcohol_ to have fun," she said, wrinkling her nose. "A-and besides, I still have exams to study for! Right … okay … you'll text me the address? Okay … I-I guess I'll see you guys there. Bye."

A minute later, Mio got inside the doorway and sank into one of the chairs in the lobby. What did she just agree to? She'd never been to a bar, or anything even remotely like that. Bars were for people like her old teacher Yamanaka-sensei, right? And … didn't that mean people like _that_ would be there too?

She whimpered softly, feeling her heart racing. She wanted to call Ritsu right back and tell her it was a bad idea.

She had her phone out, staring at Ritsu's picture on the screen. She could do it … she could hit "Call."

Ritsu wouldn't accept that though, wouldn't she? Knowing her, she was probably _already_ calling the entire damned world to tell them that Mio was going to be there.

"Stupid Ritsu," she muttered, putting her phone back into her pocket. "W-why do you insist on making everything so hard for me?"

* * *

**Author's Notes**:  
\- K-On! / けいおん!, is an original work by Kakifly. It was originally serialized in Houbunsha's _Manga Time Kirara_ and _Manga Time Kirara Carat_. It was adapted for television by Kyoto Animation. All rights are reserved to Kakifly, Houbunsha, Kyoto Animation, and all licensees thereof. The author of this work is not affiliated with any of the above, and releases this story for non-commercial purposes only.  
\- Now that the legalese is out of the way: Welcome to my next K-ON! project _**Bandmates!**_ As I mentioned at the end of my previous project, _**Left 4 Moe**_, this is going to be a "get the band back together" story.  
\- No, this story won't involve zombies.  
\- This story will also be nowhere near as long as _Left 4 Moe_, nor should it take as long to finish.  
\- This story takes place roughly three years after the K-ON! _"College!"_ comics.  
\- Thanks for reading! Leave reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

**Cover Charge**

Mio shivered in the chill of a January evening. Even after all these years, she still hadn't gotten used to the riot of lights, colors, and sounds that made up Tokyo's night scene. Not, of course, that she ever went out at night.

She hugged herself, leaning against a wall, while anxiously eyeing the passing traffic.

"Okay, I'm just gonna stay as long as I have to," she said. "No longer than needed to be polite. Then I'm gonna go back and study some more."

She watched her breath turn to fog in the cold air, and wiped her nose.

"Where _is_ everybody?"

She pulled out her iPhone, looking at Ritsu's text. And then she brought up the map … yes, this was the right place, and they said they'd all meet outside, before going in. Mio made sure to arrive early too.

So, where was everybody?

Mio sighed, putting her phone away.

"I wanna go home," she said. "It's cold."

"Why would you want to do that? It's fine right now."

Mio turned with a start and a squeak. It took her a moment to work through the panic and recognize the face of the blonde woman who was, now, standing behind her.

"M-Mugi!"

"_Hello,_" Mugi replied, in English. She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "It's been a while hasn't it?"

"It has," Mio replied, feeling her cheeks warm. "I … uh … how are you, Mugi?"

"I'm doing wonderfully," Mugi replied, her smile brightening. "It feels _so good_ to be in Japan again! And it feels even better to have a chance to see all my old friends."

"Yeah," Mio said. "So, how is Finland?"

"Finland's been very good to me," Mugi replied. "I'm headed back there in a few days."

Mio nodded, unsure of what to say next.

"So, how is Mio-chan? It's been such a long time since I've heard from you. You must have had a lot going on."

"I'm fine," Mio replied. "Just … just a lot of studying, that's all. You know … just trying to stay ahead in my classes."

Mugi's eyes held hers for a few moments.

"I totally get that," she finally said. "They keep me busy in Finland."

Mio looked around.

"Did you come here alone? I haven't seen any of the others yet."

"I'm staying at Ritsu's, while I'm here," Mugi replied. "She told me to go ahead, and she'd catch up."

Mio wrinkled her nose. She'd seen Ritsu's apartment once, so she had to wonder how someone as well-heeled as Mugi was, could possibly think staying there was a good idea.

"I … see," she said. "Hmph, typical Ritsu … she sets something up, but then she's late to it. She never changes."

"There's no need to be hard on Ricchan," Mugi replied. "We're still _way_ early."

Mio frowned, wondering if she'd gotten the time wrong, when …

"Mio-chaaaaan!"

Mio turned, just in time to find her lips mere centimeters from those of a tanned brunette with hair-clips.

"Y-Yui! What d-do you think you're doing!"

"Mio-chan! It's just been so long since I've seen you … I couldn't contain myself," Yui replied, bouncing back a step. "Mugi-chan! You too!" This time, she _did_ kiss Mugi … on one cheek, and then the other.

"You're looking great, Yui," Mugi replied.

"Aww thanks," Yui said. "Guess it's easy when you travel as much as I do."

_God, I'm so jealous_. Mio thought, her eyes tracing over Yui's body. She looked like she did in high school, except a little taller, and better filled-out. Mio didn't want to think about how _she_ looked under _her_ jacket. The dreaded 'Freshman Fifteen' had struck Mio with full force, and they never _quite _let go.

"Traveling?" Mio said, suddenly looking up at Yui.

"Totally, Mio-chan," Yui replied, flashing a 'peace' sign. "Gitah and I have been _all over_ Europe!"

"W-wow … I guess you've taken after your parents, huh?"

"She has," Mugi said, smiling. "She's been to Helsinki three times."

"Only for Mugi-chan," Yui replied. "Finland's way too cold for me otherwise!" She then looked back at Mio, her mouth forming an 'O.'

"Mio-chan!" She said, furiously patting herself down. A moment later, she produced a gift-wrapped package the size of a CD. "I got this for you!"

Mio felt her cheeks warming.

"Uh, thank you, Yui … what is it?"

Yui grinned. "You'll find out later."

Just then, Mio heard a laugh she'd recognize anywhere.

"Oh-ho-ho, it looks like my plan worked," Ritsu said.

"Plan," Mio echoed, staring at her.

"Oh yeah," Ritsu replied. "I wanted to make sure you saw the others first," she said, smiling a sad little half-smile.

"Ricchan!" Yui said, quickly kissing Ritsu's cheeks. "I loved that video you e-mailed me … whenever it was!"

Ritsu grinned. "Glad ya liked it, Yui." Mio frowned, feeling a strange ache in her chest. An ache that disappeared a moment later, when Ritsu draped her arm around Mio's shoulder.

"C'mon guys, let's get birthday girl here inside."

"B-but you said Sachi and her friends would be here too," Mio said, trying to shrug off Ritsu.

"Eh, they're gonna be late," Ritsu replied, shrugging. "What can you do, right? Let's get inside … I'm _thirsty!_"

* * *

Mio huddled into the corner of the booth. Somehow, they'd found a booth, and for that she was glad, because the bar was _packed_. People swarmed in the smoky darkness, their individual words lost in a sea of noise. There was the odd flash of light as someone took someone else's picture, or else, a selfie.

She sipped her water, trying to get some moisture into her dry mouth. As far as she knew, Ritsu was at the bar with Mugi, and Yui vanished into the crowd somewere.

"Hey birthday girl! Looking good!"

Mio looked up with a start, and into a grinning blonde face.

"Ayame!" She said, as recognition hit her.

"In the flesh," Ayame replied, still grinning. "Can you _believe_ how packed it is in here tonight?"

"Nuh uh," Mio replied, shaking her head vigorously. "Where are the others?"

"Just got here," Ayame replied. "I'm gonna go tell Sachi and Akira you're over here now. You seen Ricchan?"

"I … think she's at the bar."

"Oh, that fireball," Ayame replied. "Well, catch ya in a bit!"

A few moments later, Ritsu appeared, carrying a bottle in one hand, and a deep red drink with a cherry on top in the other.

"Happy birthday, Mio," she said, setting the drink in front of Mio.

"I don't drink alcohol," Mio replied. "You know this."

"I know that, you old maid," Ritsu replied, grinning. "It's a Roy Rogers."

"Roy … Rogers," Mio said.

"Yep," Ritsu replied. "Cola and syrup with a cherry on top. Just the sort of drink for someone who looks like her mind's back in her dorm."

"Is it _that_ obvious?"

"Oh yeah," Ritsu replied. "C'mon, Mio, _lighten up_! You're the birthday girl tonight. It's all you!"

"This place scares me, R-Ritsu," Mio replied. "I can't remember seeing so many p-people in such a … small … space!"

Ritsu slapped her free hand to her forehead. "Has everything I taught you been for naught?"

"It was less teaching and more traumatizing!"

"Well, they say you always tease the ones you like," Ritsu replied.

"Hmph," Mio said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't much like you tonight, Ritsu."

"You'll be fine," Ritsu replied. "C'mon, you should check out the dance floor with us."

"There's a d-dance floor here?"

"Oh yeah, totally," Ritsu replied. "It's in front of the stage and everything!"

"Stage?"

Ritsu smiled and sighed. "Did you pay attention to _anything_ when we came in here?"

"No," Mio replied, looking down into her drink. "I-I just saw all these people and…"

She felt Ritsu's hand on hers a moment later.

"Heh," Ritsu said. "Sorry about that. Believe me when I tell you I had _no idea_ it'd be this bad tonight. Guess that band Yui's going on about's hotter than I thought."

"Band," Mio echoed, swallowing.

"Yep," Ritsu replied. "C'mon, let's go have a look at the dance floor."

* * *

It was less crowded on the dance floor, and Mio found herself breathing easier.

"Is that the stage," Yui said, turning to Ritsu.

"Yep, sure is," Ritsu replied.

"Wow, it's smaller than I thought," Yui said, leaning forward. She then leaned back. "But, I've totally seen smaller!"

Something was tickling the back of Mio's brain, so she looked up at Yui.

"Hey, Yui … so whats up with this band you were telling Ritsu about?"

Yui smiled, rubbing the back of her head.

"Ehheh, that's a secret, Mio-chan," she replied. "You'll find out, though."

"Yui, I don't like surprises," Mio said, shaking her head.

"They're _real_ good," Yui replied. "Don't you worry, Mio-chan."

"I'm not worried about that!" Mio said. "I j-just wanted to know more, that's all."

"You'll see, Mio-chan," Yui replied. "You'll see."

* * *

"_You … shook me all night long!"_

"_Yeah you shook me …"_

"_When you took me …"_

The dance floor was half-full of people now. Mio stood, nodding her head, watching Ritsu, Ayame, and Sachi headbanging as some lanky young man in a schoolboy's uniform started hammering out a solo.

"This is like … like Natsu Fest, isn't it, Mio-chan," Mugi yelled.

"Yeah," Mio replied. God, that was a long time ago, wasn't it? As it turned out, there were _several_ bands. This one was an AC/DC cover band who was … okay as far as she could tell.

They were all okay, but if she were to be honest, none of them struck her as being very _good._

"The Natsu Fest acts were way better though," she said.

"What was that, Mio?"

"Natsu Fest was better," Mio had to scream as the solo reached its climax. Her stomach rumbled … too much sugar and too much crappy finger-foods. She was hoping, praying even, that Yui's favored band was coming up _soon._

Mercifully, the song ended, and the people around Mio cheered. A fat man with a neck-beard bounded up on stage, holding a microphone.

"_Ladies and germs that was Alternating Current!"_

"Isn't this great?" Ritsu said, crossing her arms behind her head.

"It … it's okay," Mio had to admit. Sure, the bands weren't very good, but they were just good enough to make her forget the time.

"Jus' _okay,_" Ritsu said. "Think you need 'nother Roy Roger, ya ol' maid," she added. For some reason, she and Mugi downed a bunch of jello shots in a row earlier, and now Ritsu sounded drunk.

"Ugh, no thank you," Mio said. "I'm all sugared out."

"Then how 'bout a rum 'n coke instead?" Ritsu said, leaning up against Mio.

Mio pushed her away. "I don't drink alcohol! I-I don't wanna end up like _you._"

Ritsu giggled. "Good thing you're my _best friend_, Mio-chan … ow!"

"Well you're _not_ mine. Stupid Ritsu," Mio replied. Her foot hurt, and her fist was clenched. She forced herself to breathe and extracted her phone.

"T-ten … thirty?" She said, and then she moaned. "Oh my God, I-I didn't think I'd be here _this_ late!"

She looked up at the stage, and to her despair, she saw that there were young men setting up. Already, there was part of a drum kit on stage, with the twin bass drums featuring a cartoon of a skeleton riding a couch smashing into a brick wall.

It was then, that she noticed there was a pair of guitars on stage as well. One was a blacktop Fender Jaguar whose nickel humbuckers gleamed in the light, but the other looked like a candy-apple red Fender Mustang.

"Holy crap, that looks vintage," Akira said, having turned up without Mio noticing.

_Didn't Azusa have a guitar like that?_ Mio thought.

_Azusa …_ now _there_ was a name Mio hadn't thought about in years. Azusa never ended up going to Japan Women's University with them. She never even _tried_.

"Wonder how she's doing now," Mio said, softly.

"Did you say something, Mio," Mugi asked.

"Nuh uh," Mio replied, shaking her head.

* * *

The dance floor was _packed_ now, and Mio found herself near the back. The stage was dark, but she could see movement, and she could hear notes being played as the musicians tuned their instruments.

"Aren't you excited, Mio-chan," Yui said. "I know I am!"

"Is _this_ the band?"

"Oh yeah!" Yui replied. "They'll be starting any minute now!"

"Gonna be awesome," Ritsu said. At least, that's what Mio thought she said. She'd taken to leaning against Mugi, who merely looked back at Mio, smiled, and shrugged.

"_Ladies and germs, the band you all have been waiting for. Club Gohan is proud to present The Couch Crashers!"_

The stage lights came on, and the fat man bounded off the stage. At the same time, Mio's jaw dropped.

The band had five people in it. A blonde girl behind the drum kit, a tall slender boy with brown hair on bass, another boy with long hair and a goatee standing behind the microphone, and a short-haired girl off to one side with a Gretsch Electromatic Double Jet.

"Is ... is that ... _Azusa?_" Mio said, her jaw slack. The band had a second guitarist ... a short girl with her long hair tied into twin tails. A short girl wearing flannel and jeans, with the Fender Mustang.

"Sumire!" Mugi screamed, just as the band launched into their first song.

Mio closed her eyes, her heart racing as she listened to a fiery, sharp, cutting guitar solo weaving through the thundering gallop of a metal rhythm guitar being spurred on by crisp drumming that loped into staccato double-kicked bass.

That lead guitar took her back to a day, many years ago, when a certain twin-tailed girl blew them all away for the very first time.

"That ... that _is_ Azusa!" Mio said, opening her eyes.

"Azu-nyaaaaaaaan!" Yui screamed.

"Azusa!" Mio screamed, her eyes transfixed on their former kouhai. Azusa's fingers danced up and down the fretboard of her Mustang, as the song raced to its conclusion.

"Go Sumire!" Mugi said. Mio glanced at her, briefly wondering who Mugi was yelling at. And then she looked at the drummer again, who looked much younger than the rest of the band, and that was enough to tickle a vague memory.

Movement out of the corner of her eye pulled her back to Azusa, who'd already shed her Mustang for the Jaguar. They launched into their next song with all the subtlety of a cavalry charge. The vocalist was incomprehensible, with his screaming, guttural growls, but Mio didn't care. The crowd was jumping up and down, and screaming, but Mio didn't care. Her eyes were on Azusa, as she traded licks with the band's other guitarist, her expression one of focused concentration.

The second song was over, seemingly almost as quickly as the first.

"_Thank you!" _The vocalist said. _"We're the goddamned Couch Crashers! I'm Susumu, on vocals! That's Atsushi on bass. On our twin-guitar assault are Azusa and Eri! And ... introducing our new drummer ... she's so young, we had to fuckin' sneak her in tonight ... Sumire!"_

The crowd went wild, and the band roared into their next song.

"This is freakin' awesome!" Ritsu yelled beside her. "I'm gonna go mosh!" She announced, charging head-first into the unruly crowd.

"I told you," Yui said, grabbing Mio's sleeve.

Mio nodded, and then she nodded some more. And then the energy of the crowd overtook her, and her nodding became body-shaking headbanging.

* * *

It was some time later that Mio found herself standing outside in the cold, next to Ritsu.

"Goddamn, they know how to rock, don't they?" Ritsu said.

"Azusa's band?"

"Yeah," Ritsu replied. "I mean, I'd looked 'em up on Nico Nico when Yui told me 'bout 'em, but _damn_ ... wasn't ready for that!"

Mio nodded, deep in thought. They never got any closer to Azusa. There were too many people, and too much noise. And, when the set was over, they'd disappeared almost as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Hey Mio," Ritsu said, grabbing Mio's shoulder.

"What is it?"

"Did ya have fun tonight?"

"Yeah," Mio admitted. "Yeah, I did."

Ritsu was silent for several long moments.

"You think ... _we _could rock a place like that?"

Mio frowned, looking down at Ritsu.

"What ... what are you_ talking_ about?"

"I ... jus' remember how _we_ used to rock," Ritsu replied. She leaned on Mio. "Goddamn, this pisses me off. I could be as good as that damned Sum ... i ... ree chick _easy!"_

Mio wrinkled her nose. "You've had too much to drink, Ritsu."

"Shaddup," Ritsu replied. "Why ain't _we_ a band no more?"

Mio grit her teeth, pushing Ritsu off her.

"You _dropped out_, remember," she said, biting out the words.

"Yeah ... sure ... blame it _all_ on me," Ritsu replied, clutching her belly in her hands. "If you didn't have yer nose buried in books all the time, you'd've noticed ... ugh, think I'm gonna be sick."

"_What_ would I have _noticed_, Ritsu?" Mio said.

"Fughedit," Ritsu replied. "Jus' for ... oh screw _me!"_

With that, Ritsu vomited on the sidewalk.

"Ritsu!" Mio said, reaching for Ritsu, except Ritsu was already waving her off. She clutched her knees in her hands, and then vomited again.

"Ugh," Ritsu said, wiping her lips. "Ain't gonna try to out-drink Mugi 'gain, that's fer sure," she added, groaning.

"Ritsu, are you okay?" Mio said, biting her lip, putting her hand on Ritsu's back.

"I'll be fine," Ritsu replied. "Jus' fine. Gimme a minute."

"Okay," Mio said, pursing her lips. _What would I have noticed, Ritsu?_

"Hey Mio-chan," Ritsu said, after a while.

"What is it?" Mio replied, wrinkling her nose at the honorific.

"Wouldn't it be jus' freakin' awesome ... if we could get the ol' band back together again?"

"I sure think so," Ritsu repeated, a moment later, as Mio stared at her in silence.

* * *

**Author's Notes**:  
\- This is the end of the second chapter of _**Bandmates!**_ Now featuring 600% more cast than the first chapter!  
\- Mio strikes me as the sort of person who would totally own an iPhone.  
\- A Roy Rogers is actually a thing, if you don't know your cocktails. Its ingredients are cola, grenadine syrup, and a cherry. Like a Shirley Temple, but darker.  
\- Alternating Current would make an awesome band name.  
\- You don't know how long it took for me to come up with "The Couch Crashers" as a band name. They play melodic metal, even though their name is, frankly, better suited to a ska band.  
\- Why that name? I wanted to come up with a callback to "The Pillows," but "The Ottomans" and "The Chairs" were already taken (seriously.)  
\- The choice of a second guitar for Azusa was also a difficult one. She likes the Mustang for its short scale, but I felt she needed a guitar with humbuckers for more fat, given the style of music The Couch Crashers play. Ergo, a Blacktop HH Jaguar.  
\- Yes, Kurt Cobain played a Mustang, but his was rather … modified.  
\- The High School series suggests that Sumire might make for a good technical drummer. There is a scene where Nao has composed a piece of music featuring an _**especially**_ difficult drum part (it's also a piece of music that would've required Ui to grow a sixth finger for her guitar parts.)  
\- Yes, that Atsushi is the same Atsushi Suzuki who is Jun's brother.  
\- Sorry for the drunk, vomiting, Ritsu.  
\- Thanks for reading ... see you next chapter! Leave reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

**Cram Session**

_They could hear the cheering out of the darkness. They exchanged looks, listening to that standing ovation. Sure, they'd been dressed in silly costumes, but that didn't matter. What mattered … was that they'd done it. They'd gotten up on that stage, and they'd __**rocked**__ …_

* * *

"Ugh," Mio muttered, lifting her head off the table. She blinked, willing the world into focus. She stared down at her notes, despairing at the jumble of letters and words that greeted her.

"Gotta wake up," she said, as fleeting memories of her dream fled her mind. It was Ritsu's fault, that she dreamt of high school. It was also Ritsu's fault that she couldn't stay awake.

"Great idea … stay up all night at a bar. Hmph," she murmured, stretching and rubbing her eyes.

"But it _was_ fun, though … and I got to see Mugi and Yui again. And Azusa too … that was a surprise."

Mio pinched her cheek, trying to focus. Most of her exams were tomorrow, and she barely felt prepared, at all. She pushed her notes to the side and started skimming through the chapter she'd been reviewing, before she nodded off.

"_This pisses me off,_" Ritsu's voice said.

"You and I both, Ritsu," Mio said.

"_Wouldn't it be great if we could get the old band back together again?"_

Mio frowned. Why was she remembering that? And why did it matter? Ritsu had been thoroughly plastered when she said that. Drunk people didn't always say what they meant, right? Or was it that drunk people were free to say what they wouldn't have otherwise? Mio didn't know.

"_If you hadn't had your nose buried in books, maybe you would've noticed…"_

"Noticed what, Ritsu!" Mio said, before cupping her hand over her mouth. Ritsu hadn't given her an answer, only some vomit on her shoes. Mio looked over to the other bed, and breathed a sigh of relief when its occupant didn't stir.

Mio bit her tongue … the finite element method wasn't going to learn itself.

* * *

It was two in the morning, when Mio next looked at her clock. She looked down at her notes again.

"Ugh … why isn't any of this sinking in?"

Truth be told, her mind was still back at that bar. Still back on that performance Azusa gave.

"Oh!" She said, pounding a fist into her hand. Yui'd given her a gift, hadn't she? As far as Mio knew, it was still in her handbag. She'd been too busy studying to open it.

"Well, I guess I should see what it is," she said softly, standing up. "Stretching my legs would be good too."

Mio picked up her handbag, looking inside. In a moment, she extracted the small package and looked it over. It felt hard inside the gift wrapping, and she didn't hear anything while shaking it.

So, finally, she just decided to open it. She tried to do it properly, carefully pulling at the tape.

_Rip!_

Well, maybe trying to do that sleep-deprived wasn't the best idea. Shrugging, Mio tore the rest of the wrapping off, throwing it aside. What she found herself holding was a CD.

"Why would Yui get me a CD?"

Especially one whose case had no obvious markings. She opened it, and what she saw was a CD-R with "The Couch Crashers" written on it with a Sharpie. It was then that she realized that there was also a note inside the jewel case.

* * *

\\( ﾟ◡ﾟ)/ _Happy birthday, Mio-chan! _\\( ﾟ◡ﾟ)/

_I forgot what your e-mail address was, so I burned you a CD instead. Azu-nyan's __**sooo**__ cool! At least I think so. Now I gotta think of how I'm gonna get this to you on your birthday._

_XOXOXO_

_~* Yui *~_

* * *

Mio groaned as she walked out of the lecture hall. Her head hurt, and so did her hand. The exam didn't have many questions, but each had several parts, and each part required a _**lot**_ of mathematical derivation.

It was, pretty much, like the two other exams she'd had. And that _wasn't_ good news, because she'd worked right up to the allotted time for all of them.

She tried to tell herself that it was out of her hands now. That there was nothing to do but wait for the grades to come back. A near-impossibility for someone as fundamentally anxious as Mio could be.

Her stomach rumbled, feeling sour. She started for the vending machines … a can of tea would've been a good thing for her, just then.

_Buzz!_

"Ah!" Mio's eyes went wide with surprise. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone.

"A message? From Ritsu?"

She looked it over, with a little frown on her face:

"_Hey Mio! Remember what I said the other night? What do you think?"_

"What's there to think about," Mio said out loud, tapping out a response. "You were drunk, Ritsu."

As she reached the vending machine, her phone vibrated again.

"What … Ritsu … again?"

"_Cmon, I'm serious! :-\"_

"So am I, Ritsu," Mio said, listening to the thuds of her can of tea being dispensed. "I'm too busy to be wasting time like that."

She didn't even have time to open her tea before Ritsu replied.

"_Mugi's busy too, and she'd be cool with it. ;-)"_

"Ugh, Ritsu. Go play with Mugi, then," Mio tapped out what she hoped would be her final word on the matter.

_Buzz!_

"_:-("_

"Hmph," Mio said, putting her phone away. She went to find a quiet place to sit down and try to enjoy her tea.

_Why would Ritsu even think trying to reunite everyone was a good idea? Probably because she _wasn't_ thinking,_ Mio thought, as she sipped her cold tea.

It was the same way that first night they'd watched that televised show at the Budokan, though, wasn't it? She remembered how Ritsu shook her in her excitement.

"It's not going to work this time, Ritsu," she said to herself. "I'm … I'm _still_ mad at you," she added, sighing.

And how did Mugi think it was a good idea? She was in Finland for much of the year, wasn't she? How would that even work? They'd obviously never get Azusa back, and Mio wasn't even willing to _speculate_ about Yui …

Her eyebrows went up. Right … that CD Yui'd gotten her. She should listen to that … it'd take her mind off of Ritsu's crazy idea, wouldn't it?

* * *

It was another late night in Mio's dorm room; she had her laptop set up, and her headphones on. The first couple of tracks on the CD weren't anything special … she'd already heard the songs live, and somehow, they just didn't have the same impact now that she was listening to them on CD.

Well, maybe it was the drumming. Whoever was doing the drumming for them when they were recording, they weren't Sumire. They lacked her precision, and tried to make up for it with enthusiasm.

"Just like Ritsu," she said. Again, she had to speak softly, for her roommate had already gone to bed.

Her breath caught in her throat when the next track started. Instead of a rumbling, galloping, metal entry, it was Azusa's Mustang. Alone, and clean, with the barest hint of overdrive.

"_I was raised by musicians.  
So let me make clear my position."_

That was Azusa's voice! Mio frowned, Azusa never sang solo during Houkago Tea Time's tenure at the Light Music Club. This must've been something that came to her later.

Just then, Azusa's single guitar became darker, overdriven, and distorted; and it was joined by the rest of the band. However, her vocals shone clearly though it all.

"_This thing, it's been there all of my life.  
Through times of good and the times of strife._

_This thing, it's been here all along.  
Though friends have come and friends have gone."_

Mio found that she was nodding her head, even as the tempo of the song picked up.

"_It's driving me on.  
Now I'm writing a song.  
I'm putting it on.  
And now I'll rock it all night long._

_It's coming so fast.  
Though I want it to last.  
It's going to last.  
From my future to my past._

_It's the best thing that's happened to me.  
I feel nothing but joy and the ecstasy.  
It's like a first date and I've fallen in love.  
So long as my bandmates are next to me,_

_We'll explore the music, because music's a … __**drug**__,_"

Mio squeaked, slapping her hand over her mouth. It'd been just Azusa singing, right up to the word 'drug,' when she was joined by the guttural growl of the band's main vocalist.

"_Because music's a __**drug**__.  
Because music's my __**drug**__.  
Because music's our __**drug**__.  
It's something that we just can't get enough of…"_

The song went on and Azusa kicked into a short bridge solo, but Mio leaned back in her chair.

"That song was written by _**you**_, wasn't it, Azusa?"

Was that why she'd never joined them at university? Because she wanted to actually pursue being a musician? And if that was the case, she was sacrificing a _lot_ to do so.

Where did Ritsu get off suggesting the same thing?

"Stupid Ritsu," she murmured. Still … her gaze turned toward her closet. It had been quite a while since she'd last played her bass, and listening to Azusa's band had awakened the old itch to play.

* * *

_Applause. The short girl with the long twin-tails stood up clapping. The members of the band looked at each other, smiling. It'd been a lot of work, but they'd pulled it off in the end._

"_It wasn't very good," the girl with twin-tails said._

"_**What?"**_

"_But I wanna listen to it over, and over again," the girl said._

* * *

Mio yawned, exiting yet another lecture hall, after having had her brains pounded to a paste by yet another insanely-difficult exam. It didn't help that her sleep had been plagued by still more dreams of high school.

She shrugged her shoulders, trying to adjust to the weight of the gig bag that she carried. It was weird how heavy it felt, after all this time. Did she really used to carry that that thing around all the time in high school?

Her legs carried her, on autopilot, to a place they all used to go; when they started at the university. To a place she hadn't seen in a very long time … the meeting room of the music club.

She paused, pursing her lips. She had no idea how many of the members she might've known would still be there, or even if they would let her play.

She thought, just then, of Ritsu. Ritsu would've just marched right in, and assumed the place belonged to her.

She bit her lip, forcing herself to keep walking. There weren't many other places on campus for her to do what she wanted to do. It'd have to be the music club. The worst they could do was say "no," right?

"Oh no … what if Kana's still there?" Mio moaned. She shook her head a moment later, the old mercenary graduated a couple years ago, didn't she?

"L-let's just do this, Mio," she said to herself. She'd just have to introduce herself. Although, at least, she'd be able to be polite about it. Unlike Ritsu.

She was there before she knew it. She knocked, timidly.

"A-anyone there?"

Nothing.

She knocked again, and was greeted with the same response.

Mio took a breath, and slowly opened the door.

"Mio!"

Mio screamed. When she forced her eyes open, a moment later, she started to blush.

"Oh, Ayame, it's just you."

"Well, who else would it be," Ayame replied, grinning. "Come on in! Gosh, I don't think you've been in here in…"

"Yeah, it's been a long time," Mio said, cutting Ayame off.

"That show was crazy good, wasn't it?" Ayame said.

"Uh huh," Mio replied.

"Did you know that the drummer of that band is Mugi's adopted sister?"

Mio nodded, it was something Mugi mentioned, when they were all in college.

"That chick's crazy-good," Ayame said, grinning. "She reminds me a little of Chris Adler, Mike Heller, or even Gene Hoglan … oh, you brought your bass!"

"Yeah," Mio replied, smiling nervously. "Yui gave me a CD of the band's songs … and it's got me in the mood to play."

Ayame laughed. "They must've had quite an effect on you." Her expression sobered. "Honestly, I was wondering if you'd ever come back here … after what happened between you and Ricchan."

Mio pressed her lips tightly together. "I still can't believe she decided to drop out. Even up to now."

"Hey," Ayame replied. "It happens. Sucks that it happened to both Ricchan and Yui, though."

"Yeah," Mio said, nodding.

"So," she said, after a few moments. "Is the practice space open right now? I don't hear anything."

"Well," Ayame replied, looking away. "I think we'd have to ask Akira that … but you know the rules … the practice space is for dues-paying club members only."

Mio felt her spirits sinking. She felt a dull ache in the pit of her stomach to go with her sense of sudden shame.

"Oh … well … sorry to waste," she said, just as Ayame held up her hand.

"That's what Akira would say, anyway," she said with a quick smile. "But, look around, it's pretty dead right now. And for an old friend like you, I'd love to make an exception."

Mio looked at Ayame, and then she smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "I really appreciate it."

Ayame grinned. "Hey, it's no problem!" She said, falling silent for a moment, before running a hand through her short, blonde, hair. "Say, you want some accompaniment? There's a drum kit in the practice space."

"I don't want to be a hassle," Mio replied, as Ayame shook her head.

"Oh no," Ayame said. "I'd love the chance to get some practice in! And I'd love the chance to play with a friend!"

* * *

The two of them stood together in the empty practice space. There was a bulletin board on one side that was papered over with flyers advertising bands. Next to it was a scheduling sheet that had the names of a number of groups on it.

"How many bands are part of the club now?" Mio said, adjusting the strap on her bass.

"Like, five, I think," Ayame replied. "The economy's been terrible," she added. Mio nodded, pursing her lips. There'd been at least ten when they first joined the club.

"So, anything, in particular, you wanna play?" Ayame said, sitting down behind the drum kit.

"Um," Mio replied, licking her lips. She could only vaguely recall a couple of OnNaGumi's songs, and she wasn't going to insult Ayame by suggesting they try to play one of Houkago Tea Time's.

_Ritsu, Mio, and Mugi looked at each other. They could work with Yui ... but they had to get her to stay. Bribery hadn't worked, so out of desperation they decided they'd try music. In retrospect, it should've been the first thing they tried ..._

"Do you know Tsubasa wo Kudasai?"

"From Eva 2.0? Do I ever," Ayame replied, grinning. Mio blushed a little.

"I don't know it from there," Mio admitted. "I know the original version."

Ayame grinned. "Well, I've heard that too ... they're close enough for what we wanna do. Too bad we don't have a pianist here, though."

"Yeah," Mio replied, before smiling. "I think we should be okay, though."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Mio said, nodding. Truth be told, she was trying not to shake. It'd been a long time, and here she was, about to play with an experienced musician.

"Hey Mio," Ayame said.

"Yeah?"

"Calm down. Just take a breath ... I remember your bass playing. For you, it'll be like riding a bicycle. You'll be fine!"

Mio took a deep breath, and then another.

"Thanks Ayame."

"No problem! You ready now?"

"Yeah," Mio replied. She smiled ... she did feel ready now.

"Okay, here goes ... one, two, three ..."

Ayame began to play, and Mio closed her eyes, her ears picking up the beat.

_Wait for it ... the worst thing for a bassist to be is a Russian Dragon. And ... there!_

Mio opened her eyes, watching her fingers. The notes came slowly, and her fingers stumbled several times ... but she found herself pushing through it, following Ayame's beat. _Don't rush the tempo, and don't drag it down, _she thought. _I can do this ... I can do this ... I'm doing this ... I'm doing this!_

Before long, the last beats, and the last bass notes faded away. Mio and Ayame looked at each other.

"Hey, not bad," Ayame said. "You did really good there! I'm sure with some more practice, you'll have polished off all the rust in no time."

"You ... you really think so?"

"Absolutely," Ayame replied, flashing a bright smile. "Say, you wanna play something else?"

Mio pressed her lips together. "I dunno," she replied. "That ... was harder than I remembered."

"Hey, no biggie," Ayame said. "Look ... if you wanna, I'll talk to Akira if you wanna come down here again and play some more. We'd love to have you."

"I," Mio started to say, her lips snapping shut. She'd just had the itch to play, that's all ... right? She _totally_ wasn't thinking about drunk Ritsu's stupid, impulsive, idea. And classes didn't look like they were going to get any easier, so maybe she shouldn't ... but ...

"I don't know," she finally replied. Ayame looked at her, tilting her head. After a moment, she shrugged.

"Well, I'll talk to Akira anyway," she said.

_Smack!_

Ayame slammed her drumsticks down on the snare.

"Oh crap! I almost forgot ... the club is having a little Battle of the Bands next month. It's nothing like the kind Kana used to have. Think of it as an ... um ... jam session with a competitive spirit. If nothing else, you should at least come by and watch."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**  
\- And so ends the third chapter of _**Bandmates!**_ The seeds drunken Ritsu planted in Mio's mind are starting to germinate.  
\- If she can get over why she's angry at Ritsu. Stupid, drunk, Ritsu.  
\- The editor didn't eat my emoticons ... yay!  
\- The editor keeps eating my underlines ... boo!  
\- The hardest part about writing this chapter? Coming up with Azusa's strangely apropos song.  
\- All the drummers Ayame names are metal drummers. One must wonder at the direction the Light Music Club took after Azusa, Ui, and Jun graduated.  
\- Yes, Akira inherited the university music club from Kana.  
\- A russian dragon is a bassist who both rushes the tempo and drags it down. Pretty much the worst kind of bassist, because it's hard to guess _how_ they're going to suck.  
\- Thanks for reading! Leave reviews ... the feedback really does help!  
\- See you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chance Encounters**

Mio looked across the table at Ritsu, watching the other girl suck at her soft drink.

"Ah," Ritsu said. "That hit the spot!"

"How do you do that and stay thin," Mio said, wrinkling her nose.

"What can I say … I stay active," Ritsu replied. "It's hard work moving boxes around!"

Mio frowned, looking down at her salad. She was determined … _determined_ to get on top of her weight. That was her resolution for the month. All she had to do was survive her monthly get-together with Ritsu, who always insisted on cheap fast-food joints like the one they were at now.

"Well," she replied. "If it makes you happy." What made _her_ happy was that Ritsu had yet to mention that one thing she mentioned last month.

"Eh, I get by," Ritsu replied. "I've got steady work, and an okay apartment. Guess I can't really complain," she said, leaning back and crossing her hands behind her head. "_Way_ better than suffering, like you are."

Mio's eyes narrowed.

"It's going to be worth it, in the end," she said. "My degree will get me a _career_, not just a _job_."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah … so you keep telling me," Ritsu replied, waving her off. "I'm _still_ waiting for the day when you realize that this was the right call for me to make."

"Well, keep waiting, Ritsu," Mio replied, clenching her teeth. "Because I _still_ think you were wrong."

Ritsu sighed.

"It's a long time to be holding onto a feeling like that, Mio-chan," she said, lightly touching Mio's hand.

"Ritsu, you don't _do_ feminine, so don't even talk to me in that tone of voice," Mio replied, pressing her lips together.

"Well, it's true, damn it," Ritsu replied. "Anyway, there's something I wanna ask you."

Mio swallowed.

"Yeah?"

"Yup," Ritsu replied, taking a breath. "Why'd you never respond to my question? Y'know, about getting the band back together?"

Mio frowned at Ritsu.

"I thought I _did_," she replied. "And I'm pretty sure I said no."

"Fine," Ritsu replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Tell me why not?"

"I already explained it to you," Mio replied, fixing her eyes on Ritsu's. "I'm too busy for stuff like that … and besides, what about Mugi or Yui? Nevermind _Azusa_."

"Well," Ritsu said. "Mugi and I talked before she went back to Finland, and she'd be cool with the idea, _and_ she's got the summer off to try it. Given the way Yui lives now, she'd probably be easy to get back. And … well, you never know, we might be able to wow Azusa into coming back … ow!"

"Get serious," Mio said, before exhaling sharply. "I don't know how much of Azusa's music you've listened to, but she's … so many levels above where we were."

"It was a joke," Ritsu replied. "I know that."

"Really, Ritsu?"

Ritsu looked into Mio's eyes. The intensity of her gaze made her want to shiver.

"Yeah," Ritsu replied. "Azusa might be beyond our reach, but ... well, it might be fun to chase her."

"No," Mio said, thrusting a fingertip in Ritsu's face. "You don't get it. It's not gonna be _fun,_ it's gonna be _work_.A _lot_ of really _hard_ work!"

"I get that," Ritsu replied, batting Mio's finger aside. "I totally do. But, c'mon, don't you remember how much _fun_ we used to have doing it?"

"We ... we goofed off way too much," Mio replied. "And you and Yui were the _worst! _We nearly lost Azusa because of it. Do you remember _that_, Ritsu? I-In fact, we _did_ lose Azusa ... now that I think about it. She never came to JWU," she took a deep breath. "She struck out on her own, without _us!_"

Ritsu closed her eyes, leaned back, and crossed her hands behind her head.

"Hey, it was just an idea," she said. "You don't have to be so damned mean about it. If you don't wanna, you don't wanna. No need to bite _my_ head off for it!"

Mio looked across the table at Ritsu. Ritsu opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling, her hands still crossed behind her head. She blinked quickly, her eyes looking bright.

_Ritsu,_ Mio thought, pursing her lips. Did she go too far? Did she not trust Ritsu enough to think that she'd not respect her desire not to try to "get the band back together"?

"Ritsu," she said.

"Yeah," Ritsu replied, not looking at Mio. "What is it?"

"I ... I'm sorry if I overreacted," Mio said.

Ritsu sniffled.

"Is that _all_ you're sorry for, Akiyama-san?"

Mio pursed her lips.

"Nah, don't answer that," Ritsu said, leaning forward again.

"Ritsu?"

Ritsu shook her head.

"I'm cool," Ritsu said. "Really. Really cool," she repeated. Mio watched her face. Ritsu was pouting, and Mio _knew _it. She was trying really hard not to show it, but Mio knew her for far too long to be fooled.

For some reason, at that moment, it didn't upset her nearly as much as it should've.

"Hey Ritsu," she said.

"I mean really, really ... eh ... what is it _now_?"

"It's not going to work," Mio replied. "I know you too well."

"Is that so?" Ritsu said. She then threw her arms up in an expressive shrug. "You got me, Mio-chan!" Both girls looked at each other, and Ritsu laughed. To her surprise, Mio found herself cracking a smile. For a moment, it was like they were at the beginning of college again.

Mio's smile froze on her face, slowly fading. A warm touch on her hand brought her back to the present.

"I'm good," she said, looking up to find Ritsu's eyes on her. "I ... I was just thinking. You remember Ayame, right?"

"Do I ever," Ritsu replied. "Where did _that_ come from?"

"I," Mio started to say, feeling her cheeks warm. She prided herself on not having dumb ideas ... so why was she about to put voice to one?

"N-nothing," she said. "It's ... it's nothing!"

Ritsu brought a hand to her chin, stroking thoughtfully.

"It was definitely _something,_" she replied. "And I wanna ..."

Just then, her phone started ringing. Ritsu's eyebrows shot up as she reached for it.

"Hey! Surprised you called me today ... _what_? He's okay right ... okay cool ... _What!? _Whaddya mean I've gotta come in _this afternoon_? I ... well ... no, I don't have a problem with that ... see ya in a while. Okay ... bye."

Mio stared at Ritsu, the shock of the interruption nearly overweighing the relief she felt at being interrupted.

"What was that about?"

"That, Akiyama-san, was _work_," Ritsu replied. "I'm really sorry ... but they want me to come in right now. One of the guys who was supposed to be covering for me this afternoon got clipped by a car on the way in, and," she looked up at the clock, scowling.

"Damn it," she said. "I've _really_ gotta go. Look ... I'll text ya later, okay?"

* * *

_Yo Mio ... you don't have to worry ... got it cleared up. _

* * *

Mio found herself making the long trek to the Music Club's room. After Ritsu sent her that one, mysterious, text; she hadn't sent anything else. Even so, Mio wondered if she should've just gone through and invited Ritsu to attend the Battle of the Bands with her.

Why? Why did she want to invite her? Was it because she was feeling remarkably good about her relationship with Ritsu?

"No," she said, shaking her head. Whatever it was she felt during that moment ... she wasn't feeling it _now_. And, really, she should've been upset that Ritsu was still pushing her on the whole band thing.

Mio shook her head again, trying to shake off thoughts of Ritsu. And, before much longer, she reached the door to the Music Club's meeting room.

"Mio, hello!" Ayame said, waving as Mio entered. The room was _crowded,_ and Mio swallowed before waving back.

"Mio," Akira said, looking up from some papers that were spread out in front of her. "Long time, no see," she added. She was dressed in ripped jeans and flannel.

"Yeah," Mio replied. "I-I hope I'm not any trouble."

"You're fine," Akira replied. "Ayame _does_ have her moments."

"Hey, Akira," Ayame said.

"Where's Sachi," Mio asked, looking around. She wasn't really recognizing the other women in the room, and most of them only briefly looked at her before turning back to whatever discussions they were having with their bandmates.

"Oh, Sachi's over in the practice space, making sure everything's set up for tonight," Ayame replied. "C'mon Mio, have a seat."

Mio took the indicated seat, looking around.

"It's really crowded here tonight," she said.

"Yeah," Akira replied, looking at her. "That's what happens when every band in the club shows up at once."

"Wow, _every _band?"

"Yes," Akira replied. "And everyone's here to play. I think it's way more fun than the ones Kanna used to hold, because you get to see where you are compared to everyone else in the club."

Mio nodded. She remembered how competitive Akira could be.

"Anyway, glad you came," Akira said. "You should feel honored ... it's just raw musicianship tonight, so I usually don't let non-members watch."

"I ... I am. Thank you for letting me watch."

Akira nodded once at her, running a hand through her close-cropped black hair.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go check up on Sachi now. You'll hear when it's time for everyone to get ready to perform."

Mio watched Akira make her way among the gathered women.

"She runs a tight club," Ayame said, sliding up next to Mio.

"It ... yeah, it looks like it," Mio replied. Momentarily, she wondered what it would've been like, to be in the club with Akira as its president.

"Yep ... oh ... and we'll totally be performing tonight," Ayame said, grinning. "Just because Akira's the president doesn't mean OnNaGumi gets a pass, and that's totally the way we like it."

"Oh?" Mio echoed, sitting up. "Well, I'll be looking forward to that."

"You'd better," Ayame replied with a wink. She looked up, and smirked. Mio didn't understand the importance of that. Not until she heard the voice of a certain friend of hers ...

"Mio!"

* * *

"Ritsu," Mio said, looking up in shock. Standing at the entrance to the clubroom, Ritsu grinned at her.

"Funny seeing you here, Mio-san," Ritsu replied, winking. "I would've been here sooner ... but I kinda got lost."

"R-Ritsu ... what are _you_ doing here?"

"I invited her," Ayame said, standing up. "Come on in, Ritsu," she said, grinning. "It's been a really long time!"

_So _that's_ what that text was about,_ Mio thought, staring at both Ritsu and Ayame.

"We saw each other last month," Ritsu replied.

"Oh no," Ayame replied. "I mean, it's been a long time since you were _here_."

"Eh, yeah," Ritsu said, rubbing the back of her head. "Totally a long time."

"No need for the long face," Ayame said. "It's gonna be _fun_ tonight!"

Mio and Ritsu looked at each other, and then at Ayame.

_Fun for _who_? _Mio thought, suddenly remembering something that Ritsu told her ... about how she kept up. The pieces were falling into place ... of course Ritsu still had Ayame's number. Of course they still talked! Mio should've just kept her mouth shut and not said _anything _about Ayame.

It was too late for that _now_, wasn't it? Ritsu was already making her way over.

"Mio," she said, sitting down. "Thanks for the invite."

"I didn't."

"I know," Ritsu replied. "Ain't holding it against you, though," she added.

"Good," Mio managed.

"It's such a shame Mugi and Yui couldn't be here," Ayame said, sitting down next to Mio. "Say, why don't I introduce you two to some of the other acts that are playing tonight!"

* * *

"Yeah, it's _totally_ hard," a girl with short, purple-dyed, hair said. "We've, like, sent our music to all the blogs, and we've got lots of fans on Facebook; but nobody's picked us up yet."

"I know, right!" Another girl, tall, slender, and dressed in leather replied. "You don't wanna know how many people we've sent our demo to. We're thinking about just doing it all ourselves."

"No kidding! I heard that's what the Couch Crashers are doing! By the way, my brother's wife says, like, half her old band's involved with them," a third girl with straight, black, hair said.

"Really!" The girl with purple hair replied, brushing aside the bangs covering her eye. "That's so awesome!"

Mio frowned, turning to Ritsu.

"You think she's talking about …"

"Totally," Ritsu replied. "Ui and Azusa's friend … whatshername … got married, like a year, after high school. Her brother's the bassist for the Couch Crashers."

Mio bit her lip; that was another thing she didn't know.

"D-do you know how Ui's doing?"

"Last I heard from Yui, she's sticking to her studies in college. She's double-majoring in business and poli-sci."

"Good for her," Mio replied. "More than I can say about _some_ people."

"No fair," Ritsu said. "It's awkward enough coming back here!"

"Well, why did you, then?"

"Well," Ritsu replied. "It sounded like it'd be fun … and besides, you _knew_ and you _didn't_ invite me, so I just had to … ow!"

"Stupid Ritsu," Mio said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There you two are," Ayame said, bounding up to them. "Everything's all set, so I just wanted to let you guys know that the show's about to start."

* * *

"I just wanted to thank everyone for coming tonight," Akira said, standing in front of the microphone, with her black Les Paul hanging from her side. "This club wouldn't be where it is today without all of you."

A cheer erupted from the women packed into the room. Mio and Ritsu leaned up against the wall. Mio hugged herself … the space seemed so _tiny_ with everyone in it.

"You all are gonna have a real tough act to follow! So you girls had better be ready to rock!"

The others in the room screamed their band names, leaping into the air.

"So to kick things off, here's OnNaGumi's contribution to the Battle of the Bands. It's a little tune I wrote called _Beast!_"

Akira leaned back, slinging her guitar into her hands.

"One, two, three, _four!"_ Ayame screamed, and they were off. Akira tore into a three-chord progression, the loudspeakers screaming with raw distortion. She leaned into the mike, not once letting off her guitar.

"_You don't know it till you find it.  
Even so, you're gonna fight it._

_It's a thing that makes you feel right.  
So why you gotta put up a fight?_

_It's a BEAST!  
Yeah!  
The beast with two backs.  
Gonna make your jaw slack.  
It's something you can't take back._

_It's a BEAST!  
Yeah!  
Gonna break your heart,  
And then switch it to 'restart'.  
'cause it feels worse when you're apart."_

"Yeah!" Ritsu said, thrusting a fist into the air. She jumped up and down as Akira half-screamed and half-growled into the mic, casting a half-lidded, smoldering stare into the audience. Mio found herself moving too, jumping up and down with Ritsu, and with the others in the audience.

"_It's the beast called "LOVE"  
So you're gonna fight it.  
Why you gotta fight it?  
It's a thing worth thinking of._

_Yeah!_

_It's the beast called "LOVE"  
You'd better take it in!  
Feel it coming in!  
And spend the night making "LOVE"_

_LOVE!_

_Spend the night making ..._

_LOVE … LOVE!_

_Gonna tell you lover,  
It's a BEAST worth fighting for."_

As Akira launched into her next verse, Mio felt someone grab her hips. Her eyes went wide and her head snapped back … but it was only Ritsu.

"Don't stop!" Ritsu said, flashing a quick grin. "Dance with me!"

Driven by the deep thrum of Sachi's bass, the frenetic pace of Ayame's drums and Akira's guitar, and the sheer sexiness of Akira's vocals; Mio threw her hands up in the air, followed the beat, and followed Ritsu.

Ritsu pushed up against her, and Mio pushed back, both of them lost in the music.

"_Gonna tell you lover!  
Gotta tell you lover!  
Need to tell you lover!_

_It's a BEAST! Worth! Fighting! For!"_

With a thundering romp across the toms and a crash of the cymbals, OnNaGumi finished their performance. As the roar faded, Mio started to realize how close Ritsu was … how incredibly _warm_ she was. She looked back to find Ritsu staring at her, her face flushed, and then she realized that she was burning too.

"We're OnNaGumi! And I hope the rest of you brought your game on!" Akira shouted.

Mio swallowed, stepping forward.

"I … uh …"

"That was a … _way_ … sexy song," Ritsu said.

"Yeah," Mio replied. "I…"

"And you … _way_ … sexy," Ritsu said.

"Me," Mio echoed, staring back at Ritsu.

Ritsu looked away.

"Totally."

"I … uh …"

Ritsu looked up at her and smirked. Before Mio could process that, Ritsu spanked her once, and then gave her a little pinch.

"Hey ... snap out of it!" Ritsu said, still grinning. Mio turned bright red, wheeling back on Ritsu. Her hand curled up and came down atop Ritsu's head in one, well-practiced, motion.

"Y-you … p-_pervert!_"

"At least I … am willing to admit it," Ritsu replied.

"I … what?"

"You _know_ what, Mio-san," Ritsu said, sliding up closer to Mio.

"I," Mio started to reply, her cheeks burning. _What am I supposed to know_? All she knew was that Ritsu was maddeningly embarrassing, and close. Very close and … Mio's heart was racing …

The buzz of conversation around them died, and Mio turned away from Ritsu to see that the next band was now on-stage.

"Oh God Akira, you guys are gonna be a tough act to follow," the girl with dyed-purple hair said from the stage. "We are Magic Dragon! And I wanna know if you guys are ready to rock!"

* * *

"Thank you very much for coming," Akira said, bowing to a black-clad foursome as they made their way out. Apart from Mio and Ritsu, only the girls of OnNaGumi were left in the clubroom. Mio tried not to look at Ritsu, feeling suddenly conflicted.

"That was great!" Ayame said. "Everyone rocked their hearts out tonight."

"Absolutely," Sachi replied. She turned to Mio and Ritsu.

"Are you two glad you came tonight?"

"Y-yeah," Mio replied.

"Uh huh," Ritsu said, after a moment. "Man that was pretty damned cool."

"Totally," Ayame replied, grinning.

"Well," Mio said. "I … uh … it's pretty late now, and I know I've got classes tomorrow so …"

"Just a minute," Akira said. "You too, Ritsu."

Mio looked at Ritsu, and then they both looked at Akira.

"Yes?"

"You two didn't think you'd get away without playing something tonight, did you?" Akira said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I … _what?_"

"Told you it was gonna be fun," Ayame said, grinning.

"It's the club rules," Akira said. "Only bands can attend the Battle of the Bands. And I can't help but notice that you two haven't played _anything_ all night."

"B-but," Mio started to say, backing away. "Ay-Ayame said."

Akira flashed a glance back at Ayame.

"Ayame isn't the club president here, _I_ am," Akira replied. "And I say that you two are gonna play something."

"B-but I don't have my bass," Mio said, swallowing nervously. She glared at Ritsu. _You wanted to get the band back together … I guess here's your first taste!_

"That's cool. Akemi from Magic Dragon's a lefty, and her bass is still here," Sachi said.

"Sachi," Mio said, gaping at the tall girl.

"I … uh … it's been a while since I've gotten behind the drum kit?" Ritsu said, rubbing the back of her head.

"It'll be just like riding a bicycle," Ayame replied. "You'll be fine."

"But there's only Ritsu and me," Mio said, feeling her heart race. "W-what would we even play?"

"I'll play with you guys," Akira replied. "And you ought to remember that there's one song of yours I know … you know, the very first one you played for us."

Ritsu and Mio exchanged glances.

"F-Fuwa Fuwa Time?" They said. Mio whimpered, wondering if it would be possible to die from embarrassment, and if it were, if the process would finish before she had to get on stage and play.

"Hey," Akira said. "Chill out. It's not like the whole club's gonna watch you. It's just us."

"It'll be just like when you and I played the other day," Ayame said. Ritsu's head snapped toward her.

"You did _what?_"

"She came down here to play, the other day, it was amazing," Ayame replied. Mio found herself measuring the distance to the closest dark corner. A small part of her remembered how jealous Ritsu could be.

"C'mon, Mio," Ritsu said, grabbing her hand. "You and I are going up there."

"_What!"_ Mio replied, trying to pull away.

"You and I are gonna show them. _We're_ gonna play," Ritsu replied, not looking at Mio.

"But…"

"No more 'buts', missy," Ritsu replied. "We're gonna do this."

Mio felt herself being pulled along, stumbling as Ritsu mounted the stage. She turned and saw that Akira and Sachi were already opening guitar cases. Akira's Les Paul came out first, the light gleaming off its gold-toned metal. Sachi turned, hurrying over to the stage to present Mio with a sky-blue left-handed Stingray bass.

_Tap tap tap._

Mio blinked, feeling the weight of the guitar in her hands, listening to Ritsu adjusting the drum kit behind her. Her heart was racing, and she didn't know what to do.

"C'mon, Mio, put it on and get plugged in," Akira said, pushing a cord into Mio's hand.

Mio swallowed, and meekly did what she was told. She stared down at the bass hanging from her shoulders. It looked so different from hers … and … and …

_Boom!_

Mio squeaked, freezing up. It took her a moment to realize that someone had turned on the bass amp, and she'd brushed against the strings. She plucked the string again, and was rewarded with a thunderous, yet snappy sound. Dimly, she remembered that Magic Dragon's bassist liked to weave funky slap bass into their songs.

Mio had always been more comfortable with a pick, but nobody had seen fit to offer her one. She stared down at the controls, despairing at their unfamiliarity.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, reaching down to tweak a knob, and then fingering a couple of notes. She twisted it the other way, and tried another knob. Before long, it sounded enough like her own setup that she could relax…

She took a deep breath. She'd just found it, hadn't she? There was no escaping this. It was just something that had to be done. The terror, the embarrassment, and the anger were all still there … it was just that she'd somehow found her way into that space where none of that was going to matter.

"You ready," Akira said, looking up at her.

"I …" Mio started to say, looking around her. In front, Ayame and Sachi sat cross-legged, staring up at her. Behind her, Ritsu hunkered down behind the drum-kit, obviously still fuming.

_Stupid Ritsu, isn't this what you wanted? Be happy about it!_

Mio took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, before turning back to Akira.

"Yeah, I guess."

"All right," Akira replied, turning back. "Ready, Ritsu?"

"Oh yeah," Ritsu replied. "Hope you two can keep up."

"That's _not_ the point, Ritsu," Mio said, gritting her teeth.

"Right, right," Ritsu replied.

_Click, click, click, click!_

"One, two … one, two, three, four!"

Akira launched into the three chord intro. Behind her, Ritsu started on the hi-hat. Mio counted, and her fingers moved, almost on their own accord, following Akira, while Ritsu's bass and snare joined in.

_Too fast! _Mio thought. She increased her pace just a bit, just enough to keep up with Ritsu, while reigning her in.

_Oh crap! Here it comes! Words … words … words!_

Mio stood open-mouthed, playing bass, and desperately trying to remember how her own song went.

"_When I look at you,  
my heart always goes_ _kaboom-kaboom!_" Akira started.

"_This shaking feeling's like a marshmallow,  
So fluffy-fluffy."_

"_You're always so persistent, you don't even notice  
Me, always staring at you all the while,"_ The words came to Mio, at last, and her voice rang out. This time, she was the soft counterpoint to Akira's bold punk swagger.

"_One day, it'll be like we're how I dreamed,  
and the distance between us; it can be shortened._

_Oh dear God, I am begging you,  
Give some Dream Time to us two,_

_Cuddling my Usa-chan as we drift off tonight,  
Once again, we say good night!"_

* * *

"Hey," Ritsu said, as she and Mio walked in the darkness.

"Yeah," Mio replied, hugging herself. She _still_ had the shakes, even though they'd managed to pull it off.

"I … uh … I'm sorry for my little jealous fit earlier."

Mio's eyebrows went up.

"I … it's okay, I guess."

"I dunno," Ritsu replied. "It's just … guess it got the best of me."

"At least you're acknowledging it, so it's really okay," Mio said.

"Still, tonight was pretty cool," Ritsu said, crossing her hands behind her head. "All those bands."

"Yeah … I guess so," Mio replied.

"And we got to play together, didn't we?" Ritsu said, looking up into the orange sky of urban night. "And, by the way, I _totally_ had nothing to do with that."

"We did," Mio replied. "Its … its been a long time."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ritsu replied. "But, hey, I thought it was pretty awesome!"

Mio looked at Ritsu, narrowing her eyes.

"You would," she said. "You were rushing ahead the whole time … I always had to pin you down! A-and then I almost couldn't sing, because it's been so long I had to think of what the words were! And to … to top it all off, I had to play the whole song with somebody else's bass!"

"It was fun though, wasn't it?" Ritsu said, looking back at Mio.

"I," Mio started. "Yeah," she said, in a very tiny voice. "I … I guess it was."

"What's your problem then, Mio-chan?" Ritsu said, looking up at the sky again. "Seriously … I mean, Akira's no Yui, but I thought we played real well. Almost like we never split up. So why don't you want us back together?"

"I," Mio said. _I … wow, I don't hate you right now Ritsu. I got dragged into something with you, and for the first time in a long time, I don't hate you for it._

_But … I shouldn't be walking you off-campus right now … we should be walking back to our dorm! To our dorm…_

"Why'd you leave me, Ritsu," she whispered.

"What," Ritsu uncrossed her hands, staring at Mio.

"I-I didn't say anything!" Mio said, feeling like she'd said that too loudly. _Why'd I just … shouldn't I…_

Ritsu looked at her, seeming to search her eyes. But, strangely, she didn't seem to want to press further.

"M-must've been the wind," Ritsu said, crossing her hands back behind her head.

"I," Mio said, hesitating. "I guess," she replied, several long moments later. Together they walked, in silence.

"I've got some thinking to do," she said. It was at that point they reached the edge of campus.

"You … you go do that, Mio-chan," Ritsu replied, stepping out ahead, and turning back to face her. "I'll text ya later," she added, a moment later, grinning, while saluting Mio with a fingertip. Her grin seemed strangely forced.

Mio stood there, watching Ritsu walk away.

* * *

**Author's Notes**:  
\- Sorry for the long chapter.  
\- Mio and Ritsu! Now with 110% added tension of a certain unresolved, sort!  
\- And now everybody knows what happened to Ui, and whatever her name is.  
\- I _know_ her name is Jun.  
\- The song OnNaGumi sings, '_BEAST_', is another original composition.  
\- I tried my best to rework the lyrics of '_Fuwa-Fuwa Time,_' into a format where the structure makes sense in English. As cute as it would've been to simply print the Japanese lyrics … I would've had to take a crash course in Japanese songwriting for everything else … and I simply don't have that kind of time.  
\- The bass Mio uses here is a Music Man Stingray (left-handed.)  
\- In the manga, Akira seems to have been quite taken with _Fuwa-Fuwa Time._  
\- See you next chapter! Leave reviews!


	5. Some Time Ago

**Some Time Ago...**  
_A girl and a crossroads._

"Is that what you really want to do?" Sawako Yamanaka said to the girl with the long twin-tails.

Azusa Nakano looked at Sawako, and back down at her career survey. On it was written one word:

"_Musician"_

"Yeah," she replied, handing the paper back to Sawako.

"Are you _sure,_" Sawako said, adjusting her glasses. "I mean, I know you were having trouble deciding what college to go to ... but I figured since you're such a hard worker, you'd have picked something sensible for sure!"

"Sensei," Azusa replied. "I've thought about this really hard. I ... don't think I can work hard at anything _but_ music! I'm not sure college is right for me."

"You could go to Japan Women's University like Yui-chan and the others," Sawako said, just as Azusa shook her head violently.

"I-I can't," Azusa replied. "I just can't, Sensei. I mean, I spent most of this year chasing after them, and neglected my own Music Club in the process. And now that I've had time to get to know Sumire-chan and Nao-chan ... I don't know if I'm ready to be a part of Houkago Tea Time again."

"You don't know if they're still," Sawako said, as Azusa raised her hand.

"I _do_ know," she replied. "I talk to Yui-senpai a lot, and she keeps me filled in. They're part of a college music club now, and ... I don't know if I want to be part of that."

Sawako sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"That would be your best bet at being in music, Azusa-chan," she said. "Being in a college music club while working diligently to major in something that would keep you from being a NEET."

Azusa stared at Sawako. This was the same woman who complained when Ui wasn't bringing sweets, or Sumire wasn't making tea.

"I'm a woman of hidden depths," Sawako said, winking at Azusa. "Your expression told me all I need to know. You know I love being the 'cool' teacher, but ... y'know, there are times I've got to be serious. And so I'm telling you to put some more thought into this," she said, patting Azusa's survey with one hand.

"But I _have_, Sensei," Azusa replied. "It's not like when Yui-senpai put that down! I've thought about this a lot, and ... I keep thinking I need to take some time to do this my way."

Sawako shook her head and opened up the filing cabinet next to her. She flipped through the papers, and pulled out a sheet, handing it to Azusa. Azusa frowned as she found herself looking at Ui's survey.

"This is Ui's," she said. "Should I be seeing this?"

"Don't pretend you haven't," Sawako replied. "Don't take this the wrong way, Azusa-chan, but I've got to be totally honest with you here. If Ui put down what you just put down ... I'd probably let her do it.

"She and Yui ... they both have something special. Something that transcends technical knowledge. If Yui were even half as willing to apply herself as Ui is, I'd have let her get away with putting down 'musician' as a career goal."

Azusa frowned as she listened to Sawako, narrowing her eyes the longer her advisor talked.

"What are you saying, Sensei?"

"I'm saying Ui's a musical _genius_, Azusa-chan," Sawako replied. "Maybe even better than Yui. But look at her career survey. She wants to major in business, and she's worked hard to get accepted into her top-recommended school."

"Hey," Azusa said, feeling her cheeks burn. "I'm good at guitar too! I taught Yui-senpai, and I've taught Ui and Jun a thing or two!"

"But you've been playing since you were a little girl, right?" Sawako interrupted. "Your parents are both jazz musicians, right?"

Azusa's jaw snapped shut, and she stared at Sawako.

"My point is that you've gotten where you are through a lot of diligent, hard, work. But music's more than that, Azusa-chan. There's gotta be that something special ... there has to be _soul_, otherwise it's just notes and noises."

Azusa stared at Sawako, the words slowly sinking in.

_Soul … did Sawako-sensei just say I don't have _soul_?_

"So I admire that you're such a hard worker, but you _really _should consider finding something you can apply that to," Sawako went on, oblivious to Azusa's thoughts.

Suddenly, Azusa found herself with her career survey being thrust into her hands.

"So, rejected," Sawako said. "Please put some more thought into this, Azusa-chan."

* * *

"C-can you believe it? Sawako-sensei said I … I have no _soul_," Azusa said, wiping the tears from her eyes. Ui sat across the table from her. They were alone in the clubroom. Sumire and Nao had cleaning duty and Jun … well, Jun told them she wasn't going to make it today.

"Azusa-chan," Ui said, putting her hand on Azusa's shoulder.

"What the hell does she know," Azusa went on. "S-she just comes here every day and drinks t-tea and eats c-cake."

"Now, now, Azusa-chan, you really should give her more credit. She's been helpful to us … when the time was right," Ui replied, rubbing Azusa's shoulder.

"I know," Azusa said, taking a deep breath, and wiping her nose. "I know. It's just … how could she _say_ something like _that_?"

Ui smiled.

"Well, for what it's worth, I don't agree with her. You have a lot of spirit, Azusa-chan. Which is why Onee-chan and I like you so much."

"But that's not the same thing as _soul!_"

"Again, I don't agree with her," Ui replied. "You said that Sawako-sensei said that Onee-chan and I have something that … what was it … transcends technical knowledge?"

"Y-yeah."

"Well, I don't know if that's true. If only you knew how many hours Onee-chan put into practicing on Gitah … I've lost count of the nights I'd come in to find her having fallen asleep with him."

"What about you?"

Ui smiled. "What about me? It's bad enough that Okuda-san … I'm sorry, I mean Nao, calls me a 'robot.' I just pick up on things really fast, that's all. But, I'm not sure that's the same thing as the 'soul' Sawako-sensei doesn't think you have."

Azusa made an unhappy noise. Ui took her hands, squeezing hard, forcing Azusa to look up.

"A demonstration, I think, is in order," she said, smiling. "Sumire and Nao won't be here for a while, so I think we can do this."

"What are you thinking, Ui?"

"You'll see," Ui replied, standing up. "Why don't you get your guitar and plug in. I'll do the same thing."

Azusa stared at Ui, but Ui was already turning away, and bounding over to her guitar case. She extracted her Surf Green Stratocaster, looked up at Azusa, and smiled.

With that, Azusa stood up, going to fetch her own Mustang. There were _clicks_ and _twangs_, as both girls got set up. Finally, they stood, facing each other with their guitars at the ready.

"What now Ui?"

Ui smiled.

"Play something," she replied. "And I'll follow you."

"Y-you mean, like, one of our songs?"

"Nuh-uh," Ui said, shaking her head. "Something that _you _know, that the rest of us don't."

Azusa looked at her.

"Seriously?"

"Mhm," Ui replied. "It can be anything you like. Anything at all."

"Okay," Azusa said. She looked down at her guitar, and then up at Ui. She then nodded once. Her fingers drifted over the tone knob of her Mustang, and then she launched into the first chords of The Allman Brothers' _In Memory of Elizabeth Reed._

Ui quickly echoed her, chord for chord and note for note. Azusa furrowed her brow, changing it up to Kenny Burrell's _Chitlins con Carne_, and Ui obediently followed along, her notes echoing Azusa's exactly, up and down through the octaves and progressions.

Azusa's fingers wandered into B.B. King's _Blues Boys Tune_, and she was in her zone. Her bends wailed, and her slides glistened, expressing the anger and frustration she felt at Sawako's words. As usual, Ui was right behind her … almost like the output of a delay pedal. Yet, there was something different about her notes … especially when it came to B.B. King's trademark bends and slides.

Both girls stared at each other, playing the blues. Azusa called and Ui responded … as precisely as the robot Nao Okuda occasionally accused her of being.

With that, the last few notes faded away. They were both breathing hard, even sweating. It'd been a very long guitar duel. Ui wiped her brow, and smiled at Azusa.

"That was," Azusa started to say.

"You were very good," Ui said. "Very, _very_ good."

Azusa looked down. "But you kept up with me … you kept up with me the whole way."

"Now I wouldn't say that," Ui replied, shaking her head.

"But you matched me almost _exactly,_" Azusa said. "It was really uncanny."

"And that's my point," Ui replied. "Like I said, I pick up on stuff really quickly … but … how to explain this … it's like, it's just a skill. I just _do_ it. Yet, I know music is more than that. Yes, I followed you, but it's not like I could _compose_ anything you just played." Ui's eyes suddenly locked on Azusa's. "I don't have the feel for it."

"B-but you helped Yui-senpai write all those song lyrics!"

Ui smiled.

"That was a long time ago. I'm surprised you remembered," she replied. "I just cleaned them up. The ideas were all hers. And … if _I _remember, you guys rejected all the ones I helped her with."

Azusa blushed. That was true, what Ui said about the lyrics. But how could she say she didn't have a feel for music? Didn't she just follow Azusa from jazz/blues rock, to blues/jazz, and to pure blues?

And then it hit her. Ui followed her _exactly_ … it was like playing with a delay pedal. Even when it came to the bends. Azusa remembered what she _felt_ as she played them … but Ui _copied_ them _perfectly_, though she had no idea what Azusa was thinking, or feeling at the time. She'd just heard the sound, and then regurgitated it with her guitar.

Just like a delay pedal. Just like a robot.

Still, she felt like having Ui chasing her forced her to play … well, better than she felt she'd played in a long time.

"Thanks Ui," she said, smiling. "I think I understand the point you were trying to make."

"That's good," Ui replied, smiling brightly. "I'm always glad to help out a friend."

"Say, Ui," Azusa said, after a few moments. "You wouldn't want to go into music with me, would you? It's been a long time since anyone's ever made me play this well."

Ui laughed softly. "I'm sorry, Azusa-chan, but I can't. It's not really something I want to do, to be honest. I joined the Light Music Club because I wanted to help you out, but I can't see myself doing music for the rest of my life."

"I see," Azusa replied.

"You … could always join up with Onee-chan again."

Azusa shook her head.

"I don't really know if Yui-senpai and the others are a good fit for me," she said. "Ugh, why does this have to be so hard?"

"It's only as hard as you make it," Ui replied. "I think you should, at least, talk to Onee-chan, though. I mean, before going back to Sawako-sensei. Though … when you do, I'd be more than happy to go with you."

* * *

"Hey there, Azu-nyan!" Yui's voice crackled over the phone.

"Hi, Yui-senpai," Azusa replied.

"You should know that I got the DVD of you guys' performance," Yui said. "You guys rocked!"

"Really," Azusa replied, feeling her cheeks warm.

"Totally," Yui said. "I can't wait to show it to the others! Gotta get 'em pumped up somehow, because next year, we're gonna beat OnNaGumi!"

Azusa grunted. She remembered the picture Yui sent her. Of the cheerful-looking Ayame, the thoughtful-looking Sachi, and the punk-looking Akira.

"How is Azu-nyan?"

Azusa bit her lip.

"Well," she said. "I've got something I wanna talk to you about, Yui-senpai."

"Ooh!" Yui replied. "Azu-nyan wants to have a talk? Ehehe, I hope it's not about a _boy_ … 'cause I can't help you with that. But if it's about cake…"

"It's not about any of that!" Azusa snapped, forcing herself to take a deep breath. "Where'd you even … nevermind! It's about music."

"Music!" Yui replied. "Azu-nyan's _already_ a good musician, though … but I would be glad to teach her everything I know!"

"Yui-senpai, can you be serious for a minute? I mean it," Azusa said. "I really, _really_, want to know what you think about something."

"Oh," Yui replied, clearing her throat. "What would you like to know, Azu-nyan," she said, her voice suddenly softer.

"Well," Azusa said, feeling suddenly nervous. "Well, I kinda put 'musician' down as my choice on the career survey form … and Sawako-sensei told me to be serious."

"But Azu-nyan's _always_ serious," Yui replied. "Musician … hmm … you don't wanna come here with us?"

"I," Azusa said, forcing herself to breathe. "I don't … I mean … I do … you guys have been great to me, but … so many things have changed, and I don't think I'd fit in with you guys anymore!"

Silence. Azusa held her breath, waiting for her senpai to say _something_.

"Yui-senpai?"

"Hehe, sorry Azu-nyan. I just got a text from Mio-chan."

"You…"

"Don't worry, I heard what you said," Yui replied. "So … what's different?"

"Well," Azusa said. "I've been the club president for a year, and I've gotten to know two wonderful underclassmen. Playing with them, and with Ui and Jun, is, like, so much different from playing with you guys. But … I dunno … I guess I don't know if either one is _me_. But I really want to find out."

"Well, Azu-nyan's gotta be Azu-nyan," Yui replied. "You wanna know a secret? Don't tell the others I told you this, but we kinda felt like you were putting up with us sometimes."

"That's not true, Yui-senpai! I … I love you guys!"

"Azu-nyan's not a good liar," Yui replied. "You're always so … _fortissimo!_ And we're … ehehe … not so much."

"Yui-senpai," Azusa said softly, listening to Yui. _This is deep, coming from you, Yui-senpai. But … I guess there's a reason why you and I still talk, isn't there?_

"So what are you gonna do, Azu-nyan?"

Azusa smiled.

"I think I need some time to find myself … if that's okay with you, Yui-senpai."

Silence. Azusa held her breath, half worried about what Yui would say, and half wondering if she'd gotten distracted again.

"You gotta do what you gotta do, right," Yui said. Her voice seemed oddly muted. "Azu-nyan is Azu-nyan, and … and … I wouldn't have her any other way."

"Yui-senpai."

"No … no, no, no," Yui interrupted. "You'll always be my Azu-nyan, no matter what … but you're … I guess you're growing up now. You don't need to call me 'senpai' anymore. You can just call me Yui."

"It's weird hearing _you_ tell me I'm growing up … Yui," Azusa replied, just managing to leave off the honorific. For some reason, calling her _Yui_ made her heart race.

"Ehehe it's funny not being called 'senpai' anymore," Yui said. "But, you're … you're totally gonna do something that's _way_ harder than anything I'm doing! So," there was a long pause. "So I guess it's okay."

Azusa felt butterflies in her stomach. Somehow, talking to Yui made it seem like it would be all right to strike out on her own, regardless of whatever Sawako-sensei said. Still …

"Yui, are you all right?"

"I … I'm fine," Yui replied. "All my friends are totally growing up though … I guess maybe I should do some thinking too!"

"Please don't, Yui," Azusa said. "It's dangerous when you think."

Yui giggled, and whatever it was that weighed down her voice seemed to lift.

"You're so right, Azu-nyan! I should just be like you and Nodoka-chan … oh! Akira's here, Azu-nyan! I gotta run … I promised her we'd study together! We'll talk later!"

With that, the line went dead. Azusa dropped her phone onto her bed, staring at it. Briefly, she was puzzled, why had Yui mentioned Nodoka? But the thought fled, almost as quickly as it'd come. Azusa had a fight to prepare for, didn't she?

* * *

Azusa stared down at Sawako, as the teacher read her career survey form. She was alone, having decided that she didn't need Ui's help after all.

Sawako adjusted her glasses and looked up at Azusa.

"Azusa-chan … this is the same form you handed me yesterday."

"I know," Azusa replied. "I'm not changing my mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I've never been more sure, Sensei. This is something I want to do … I need to do," Azusa replied, balling her hands into fists.

Sawako smiled.

"And what if I told you 'no,' Azusa-chan?"

"It wouldn't matter," Azusa replied. "I'm going to do it … whether you like it or not!"

"Well, you certainly have spirit," Sawako said. "Azusa-chan, I want you to listen _very carefully_ to what I'm about to tell you."

"I already told you…"

"I _know_ what you told me," Sawako replied, narrowing her eyes, her voice instantly taking on that steely edge that commanded instant, terrified, compliance from the likes of Ritsu and Yui. "Now you'd better listen to what _I'm_ going to tell you. Got it?"

Azusa felt like she'd shrunk half a meter in the space of a few seconds.

"Y-yes ma'am," she managed, staring down at the edge of Sawako's desk.

"Good," Sawako replied. "It's a cruel, heartless, thing you want to go into … this musicianship thing. People will always question your dedication, your taste, and your talent. You'll probably never make a living off it, even if you can find bandmates willing to stick with you while you're trying to get noticed.

"And if you do happen to make it, the work is no less thankless, and the pressure to succeed will be no more overwhelming. It would be too easy to try to find an escape in the 'rock and roll' lifestyle and burn out like Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, or Cobain."

Azusa continued to stare at the edge of Sawako's desk, hearing her words sink in.

"So I'm going to warn you, one last time. You're a hard worker, and a quick study, Azusa. You should apply yourself to something that would allow you to make a good living, and a meaningful contribution to society. Let this musicianship thing go."

Azusa slowly looked up, and her eyes met with Sawako's.

"I understand," she replied.

"Do you?"

"I understand the risks," Azusa replied. "I've _always_ understood them, sensei. My parents are both musicians. But … it's a challenge that I'm ready for, no matter what it takes."

Sawako gazed at Azusa from behind her glasses. Her gaze was intense, but Azusa returned the look with interest. She wasn't going to back down, not now, and not ever. Very slowly, Sawako smiled.

"You're braver than I thought, then," she said. "You're braver than _**I**_ was, when I was your age."

Sawako picked up Azusa's career survey form, looked it over once, and then slipped it into a folder.

"Whether or not that's a _good_ thing, well, all I can say is that's up to you now. As a teacher, Nakano-san, I can't wish you luck … but … Azusa-chan, I wish you well, all the same."

* * *

**Author's Notes**:  
\- I'm putting this out for several reasons. First, to show that I'm not dead. Second, to show that I am getting back to this story after what, I will admit, is too long an absence. Third, to mark the passing of B.B. King, arguably the greatest bluesman there ever was.  
\- This was the introductory chapter of a side-story that I was working on in parallel with _Bandmates!_ that attempted to show how Azusa wound up where she was at the start of the main story.  
\- This chapter may also show the seed that was planted in _Yui's_ mind as well ...  
\- Mio and the rest of the gang will return next chapter. See you then!


End file.
